Means for controlling loom harnesses



March 12, 1963 P. w. MORRISON MEANS FOR CONTROLLING 1.00M HARNESSES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 22, 1961 QM N n W IMF r\. P J 1 M 1 m Ho 0. QN m N-n T 9 L h krramvzr March 12, 1963 P. w. MORRISON 3,080,894

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING LOOM HARNESSES Filed March 22, l

961 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 12, 1963 P. w. MORRISON 3,030,894

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING LOOM HARNESSES Filed March 22, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. PRICE WALTLR MORRISOIY March 12, 1963 P. w. MORRISON 3,080,894

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING LOOM HARNESSE'S Filed March 22, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 136 INVENIOR.

PF/C'i WALTCI? M08816! adapted to simple cam looms. a separate unit to existing looms without disassembling the'loom and with a minimum of time and 'efiort.

:MEANS FOR CDNTROLLING LooM HARNESSES Price Walter Morrison, Chester, S.C., assignor to The Springs Cotton Mills, a corporation of South Carolina Filed Mar. 22, 1961, *Ser'. No. 97,544 Claims. (0.139 -80) This invention relates to means for controlling the harnessesof a loom during weaving, and more particular- 1y to means for controlling the harnesses by periodically restraining the harnesses in one position while more than one pick are-being laid in the shed.

Heretofcre controlling the shedding operation of 100111 harnesses has required special loom constructions, such -"as dobby looms and Jacquard looms, or other complex and expensive mechanisms. No simple and easily adaptable apparatus has been developed to control harnesses of simple looms, such as cam looms. Operation-of these simple looms has been limited to plain weave patterns without variations in the shedding motion.

By the present invention, simple, practical and inexpensive means are provided for controlling loom harnesses so that the harnesses can be restrained in one position during the insertion of a number of picks in the shed to thereby-produce a pattern in the cloth being woven, such as to produce a cord-like appearance.

The means of the present invention are applicable to various types of looms and in particular have been It is easily attachable as speeds of cam looms, which produce at amuch greaer number of picks per minute than do dobby looms that are imited in sp ed due to the complexity of the parts.

Thecon'trol of the harnesses by the present invention 'is accomplished by actuating means operated by the drive 'motion of t e loom, which actuate harness restraining means and take-up motion control means.

The actuating means includes a pattern device that operates in relation to the weaving operation of the loom to periodically operate the actuating means, which in turn operates the harness restraining means that engage and stop the harnesses "in one position to allow 'a number or picks to be inserted in a single-shed, and subsequently disengage the harnesses to permit the harnesses to resume I their regular shedding motion.

The .means for controlling the take-up motion are also controlled by the actuating means and are actuated simultaneously/with the actuation of the harness restraining means 'so that when the harnesses are held in one position the take-up motion will be controlled to take up less warp. This is significant as less warp is needed per pick when the warp is dwelling in one shed position for anumber of picks.

'In the preferred embodiment of the present invention'th'e actuating means comprises a pattern chain thatis driven by the main drive shaft of the loom and is provided with indicator pins or other elements that periodically, in a i elected pattern, engage and move an actuator arm. This actuator arm operatesa slidable cable that extends to the harness restraining means to actuate said restraining means for holding the harnesses in one position.

The pattern chain of the actuating means is uniquely arranged in a horizontal position above the loom in :a Etray that 'carries a tpliiralityuot sprockets around which United States Patent 0 3,080,894 H Patented Mar. 1 2, 191?.5

the chain travels. In this arrangementthe chain may be of substantial length and yet be compactly arranged to occupy a relatively small space, and more importantly to occupy the normally unusedspace above the loom without requiring additional floor space.

Thepattern chain 'actuates a slida'ble cable that extends from the actuating means to the harness restraining means for actuation of the latter.

In the preferred embodiment the harness restraining means comprises a-t-rea-dle latch that is movable into the path of the harness treadle-to engage the treadle and prevent movement thereof so that the treadle cannot move the hamessesfrom one position to another. This treadle latch is moved into the path of the treadle by a linkage that is driven from the main cam shaft when actuated by the cable from the actuating means.

The means for controlling the take-up motion comprises a linkage for disengaging the gears of the conventional take-up mechanism and isoperated from a linkage of theharness restraining means so that the harnesses and thetake-up motion are simultaneously controlled.

The actuation of the harness restraining means and take-up control means is timed to occur when the treadle is at the end of a normal stroke and the harnesses are holding the warp in one of the open shed positions. When actuated the treadle latch moves into the path of the treadle and holds the treadle in this position when it would normally be moving to the opposite position. The treadle latch is then released while the treadle remains in the same position as this is again the normal position. Thus, the harnesses will be in one position during the laying of three consecutive picks, i.e., the position immediately prior to latching, the latching position, and the position immediately following the latching position, which is the position that the harnesses would normally be in at this point.

If desired the actuating means can be designed to actuate the harness restraining means to move the latch into treadle engaging position on two or more alternate strokes of the treadle so that the harnesses will remain in the same position for the first three picks and for two additional picks foreach additional latch engagement, i.e., one pick to each additional latch position and another pick for each subsequent normal position, which-is the same as the latch position.

During the insertion of picks while the harnesses are held in'one position it is normally desirable that the warp betaken up slightly to accommodate the filling being inserted. This is accomplished in the preferred embodiment by actuating the means for disengaging the take-up motion only on the actual held stroke of the harness treadle. Thus with one latch engagement, during which three picks are inserted, the take-up will be disengaged for only one pick and for more thanone latch engagement the take-up will be disengaged'for only the actual latch engagements and not thepreceding'and following normal positions when the harnesses are normally in the same position'as when latched.

From "the above it is apparent that the present inven- "tion provides a simple and practical-means for controlling theharnesses of a loom so that the harnesses will be positively and directly restrained in "one position while laying a plurality of picks. The apparatus is compact, requiring no additional fioor space, and can easily be "adapted as an attachmentto an existing loom without'disassembly "or substantial modification of the loom, and without restricting or slowing the normal production rate *of theloom.

Other and further features and advantages of thepres- -ent inve'ntion will be apparent-from thefollowing descrip- @tion and drawings, in which:

: FIG,;1vis-a fro,nt elevation view'of a cam loomhaving attached thereto the preferred embodiment of the means for controlling harnesses of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the pattern chain and .58 which in combination with the one drive sprocket 60 associated elements of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and 1 FIGS. 5 through 8 are diagrammatic views showing the relative positions of the elements of the harness control means during operation thereof.

The preferred embodiment of the harness control trol means to the drive motion of the loom. The cam loom 12 illustrated in the drawings is a model X cam loom made by Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass. It

is of conventional construction and is illustrated herein only as an example of a loom to which the present invention can be attached. The details of the elements of the loom will not be described except as they relate to the present invention, as these details are well known in the art.

As seen in FIG. 1, the loom 12 includes a frame 14 which supports and carries the other elements of the loom. The loom is driven by the main cam shaft 16 which is mounted transversely in the frame 14 and carries the harness treadle cam 18 that rotates with the shaft to reciprocate the harness treadle 20 that is pivotally mounted on the frame 14 and extends transversely wilh respect to the main cam shaft 16. The harness treadle 20 is connected by a strap 22 to the front harness 24. The rear harness 26 is connected to the front harness 24 by the straps 28 that extend over the pulleys 30 so that reciprocation of the harness treadle 20 will reciprocate the harnesses 24 and 26 from one shed position to the other. The rear harness 26 is connected by a strap 32 to a coil spring 34 that urges the front harness 24 and harness treadle 20 into a raised position thereby maintaining the harness treadle 20 in following contact with the harness treadle cam 18.

Cloth is woven on the loom by the laying of filling picks between the warp yarns when the harnesses position the warp in open shed positions. The picks are laid by a shuttle (not shown) which is thrown across the loom by actuation of the picker sticks 36.

As the cloth is woven it is wound on the take-up roll 38 by means of a take-up mechanism 40 that is driven from the main cam shaft 16 through gears 42 and includes an axial clutch 44 that is operable to separate the gears 42 to disengage the take-up mechanism 40 and stop the take-up of the cloth on the roll 38.

The above described elements of the loom 12 are the conventional construction of the loom and it is in conjunction with these elements that the illustrated embodiment of the present invention is operated.

The harness control means 10 of the present invention includes actuating means 46 which actuate harness restraining means 48 that engage the harness treadle 20 and hold the harnesses 24 and 26 in one position. This embodiment also includes take-up motion control means 50 that are actuated by the actuating means 46 upon actuation of the harness restraining means 48 for disengagement of the take-up mechanism clutch 44 to stop take-up of the cloth on the take-up roll 38.

The actuating means 46 are efiiciently and compactly mounted above the cam loom 12 on upright supports 52 that extend from the loom frame 14 and support a horizontally extending tray 54. This tray 54 contains a pattern chain 56 that extends back and forth a number of times within the tray 54 and extends around a number of idler sprockets 58 and one drive sprocket 60. In the embodiment illustrated there are eight idler sprockets for pivotal movement in a horizontal plane. lower arm 70 is located adjacent the drive sprocket 60 provide eight longitudinal and one transverse reaches for the chain. One of the idler sprockets, such as that indicated by the numeral 62, can be adjustably mounted for adjusting the tension of the chain 56.

The drive sprocket 60 is driven by a vertical drive rod 64 that is driven through bevel gears 66 by the main cam shaft 16. Thus the chain is continuously driven from the main drive motion of the cam and is timed in relation to other elements driven from the main cam shaft16.

- The pattern chain 56 carries vertically extending indicator pins 68 that are spaced along the chain in a selected pattern for actuation of the harness control means 10 of the present invention at desired times with respect to the operation of the loom.

A pivoted follower arm 70 is mounted in the tray 54 This foland has a follower finger 72 that extends into the path of the pins 68 on the chain 56 so that the pins 68 engage the finger 72. As the pins 68 move past the finger 72 they displace the finger and follower arm 70 causing the -follower arm to pivot about the pivotal connection 74 at which it is mounted to the tray 54. This displace ment causes the outer end 76 of the follower arm 70 to move away from a stop bracket 78 and displace a slidable pin 80 that is on the end of a slidable cable 86.

The slidable pin 80 is carried in a housing 82 and is maintained in contact with the outer end 76 of the follower arm 70 by a coil spring (not shown) in the housing 82 so that movement of the arm 70 displaces the pin 80 and the cable 86. The cable 86 is carried in a cable tube 84 that extends from the tray 54 of the actuating means 46 to the harness restraining means 48 for actuation thereof.

In the preferred embodiment the tray 54 contains an oil bath and is completely sealed to protect the chain 56 from foreign matter so that operation of the actuating means 46 can continue with little or no maintenance problems.

The harness restraining means 48 that are actuated by the slidable cable 86 of the actuating means 46 are mounted beneath the harnesses 24 and 26 and adjacent the harness treadle 20. The harness restraining means 48 of the embodiment illustrated comprises a shaft 88 oscillatably mounted in bearings 90 on the loom frame 14 and extending transversely with respect to the main cam shaft 16. The shaft 88 has fixed thereon an enlarged hub 92 which supports a housing 94 connected to the cable tube 84 and containing a slidable pin 96 at the end of the cable 86. The hub 92 has a lateral extension 98 on which is pivotally mounted an operating pawl 100. This pawl 100 has a fiat side 102 in contact with the slidable pin 96 so that movement of the cable 86 will cause the pawl 100 to pivot.

An operating treadle 104 pivotally mounted on the loom frame 14 is driven by an operating treadle cam 106 on the main cam shaft 16 for reciprocation of the operatengagement and reciprocation thereby.

The pawl 100 is provided with a hub engaging extension 110 at the bottom thereof which in the non-operating position is spaced from a complementary surface 112 on the hub 92 and upon pivoting of the pawl 100 by the cable 86 the hub engaging extension 110 will abut thehub surface 112 so that reciprocation of the operating treadle 104 will betransmitted through the lip 108and.

hub extension 110 to cause the'hu'b 92 and therefore the shaft 88 to oscillate.

The shaft 88 also carries a latch operating finger114 that is fixed on the shaft for'oscillation therewith. This finger 114 is connected by a strap 116 and hooks 118 to the top end of a latch member 120 that is mounted on a pivotpin 122 in a latch supportingframework 124. This framework 124 surrounds the harness treadle and is slotted as at 126 to permit unhindered oscillation of the treadle 20. The latch member 120 is mounted alongside the harness treadle 2t) and is pivoted by the latch operating finger 114 to position its lower end 128 above the harness treadle 20 when the harness treadle is in its lowermost position as seen in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. The lower end 128 of the latch member 120 is inclined so that when it is pivoted into treadle engaging position-it will be substantiallyiparallel to the top of the treadle.

The elements of the harness restraining means 48 are maintained in the normal non-operating position of FIG. 3 by a spring 130 having one end 13:2 connected to the loom frame 14 and' its other end-134 connected to a lever arm 136 extending from and fixed to the shaft 88.

The lever arm 136 also serves asthe operating lever for the take-up motion control means 50that is thereby actuated simultaneously through the common shaft 88. with the harness restraining means 43 uponoperating o 152 of the standard clutch44 of the conventional takeup mechanism 40.

The elements of the take-up motion control means 50 are arranged and adjusted so that when in the normal non-operating position the clutch 44 will position the gears 42 in driving relation and upon actuation of the take-up motion control means 50 the yoke 152 will be displaced and cause the clutch 44 to disengage the gears 42 by axial movement of the left hand gear 156 to the left out of engagement with the right hand gear 158.

The operating treadle cam 106 is shaped with relation to the harness treadle cam 18, as seen in FIG. 2, so that the operating treadle 164 will reach its lowermost position slightly after the harness treadle 20 has reached its lowermost position. These are the positions-at which the treadles are at the extreme points of the cams. This'relationship permits the harness treadle 29 to reach its lowermost position before the latch member 120 is pivoted by the operating treadle 104. This delay also results in the latch member 120 remaining in the path of the harness treadle 20 when the harness treadle begins its return stroke and is restrained in approximately its lowermost position by the latch member 120, which is prevented treadle 2: 3 and forc'es it to its lowermost position slightly out of engagement with the latch member 120, which falls out of its latching position to permit subsequent reciprocation of the harness treadle 26.

As a result of the above construction, the "harnesses 24 and 26 remainin one position during three normal strokes z-foreach actuationof the latch member 120. Thus the harnesses are heldin' the down treadle position for the normal down treadle'stroke, thelatching stroke, 'which would bea normally pp-strokefaridthe subsequent normally down stroke, During each of thesegstrokes the shuttle is laying'the filling pick in theshed and thus three picks are laid for each actuation of the latch member 120.

Each indicator pin 68 on the pattern chain 56 causes one actuation of the latch member 120 and therefore one pin by itself represents three picks being laid in a single shed. If his desired to lay additional picks in the same shed, more than one pin can be arranged sequentially at-points spaced equivalent to alternate strokes of the harness treadle 20 so that the latch member 120 will mal up stroke, following which the harness treadle will be in the same .position for its normal down position. In

'the embodiment illustrated the pairs 160 or pins will cause five picks to be inserted in one shed.

As the take-up motion control means are operated from theshaft 88 of the harness restraining means 48 it is apparent that the clutch 44 disengag'es the gears 42 only during the single latchingstroke "of the harness treadle 20 and not during the preceding and subsequent strokes. Thus when three picks are being laid in one position of the harnesses the take-up motion isdisengaged only during one of the three strokes. This permits partial take-up of the cloth, which is desirable to obtain a corded effect in the cloth. The period of disengagement of the take-up motion can be adjusted in any conventional manner as desired for best results for the particular cloth being woven and the particular'yarn beingused, orthe take-up motion control means can. be eliminated and the loom operated through the harness restraining operation with the take-up motion continuing uninterrupted.

The sequence of operation of the harness controlling means of the preferred embodiment to restrain the harnesses in the down-treadle position during two consecutive normal up-strokes is illustrated in FIGS. 58. Thesetwo held strokes, .plus the preceding, intermediate, and subsesequence is actuated by the pair of indicator pins 16 0,the

first 162 of which is shown in displacing engagement with the follower arm in FIG. '5. At this point the cable 56 actuates the pawl to move it from its non-operating position of FIG. 3 intothepa'th of the operating treadle 104. In thejposition of FIG. '5 the latch member remains in the non-'operating position, the harness treadle 20 has moved to its down position, the operating treadle 104 is about to engage the pawl 190, and the take-up motion control means St] has not been actuated.

FIG. '6 shows thefirst pin 162 passing the follower arm I i 70, but the operating treadle 104 has already engaged the 60 pawl 100, and has rotated the pawl ltifi'and shaft 8810 pivot thelatch member 120into the pat-h'of the harness treadle 2G and pivot the take-up control lever arm 136'to disengage the clutch 44 and stop'the take-tip mechanism 40. The harness treadle 20 is now inthe down position with the harnesses in one position as a first pick is being laid.

FIG. 7 showsthe subsequent opposition of the operating treadle :104, which would normally also he theup position of the'harness treadle20, but the-harness treadle 20 is now'restrained inthe down position by the latch member 120 to hold the harnesses in the first position While a second pick is being laid. In this position the "firstpiu 162 has past the follower arm 70 and the second pin .164 is approaching the :arm. -.The;.pawl 10t),shaft;88

"member 120 in this position until the next normal down stroke of the treadle, which is illustrated in FIG. 8, and 'during which a third pick is laid while the harnesses are still in the first position. As seen in FIG. 8, the elements are in the same position as FIG. 5, except that the second pin 164 is now engaging and displacing the follower arm 70 to actuate the harness restraining means 48 and take-up Imotion control means 50.

Following the position of FIG. 8 the elements move to the position of FIG. 6, but with the second pin 164 passing the arm 70. In this position the harnesses are again restrained in a down-treadle'position during a normal upstroke for the laying of a fourth pick in the first harness position. On the subsequent down stroke the elements return to their original non-restraining positions with the latch member 120 falling back to its normal position when the treadle moves to the down position to again position the harnesses in the same position as the fifth pick is being laid.

The loom then resumes normal plain weave operation with the elements remaining in their normal non-restraining positions of FIG. 3 until subsequently actuated.

In the above description one embodiment of the present application has been described in detail. However, it is to .be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the specific constructions described as it has application to many variations. The invention could be adapted to various types of looms other than a cam loom and the actuating means, harness restraining means, and take-up motion control means could be varied considerably in specific construction to accomplish substantially the basic purposes of the present invention. For example, the harness restraining means 48 need not be a mechanical linkage but could be an electrical device, as could the take-up motion control means. It is intended that the scope of the present invention not be limited except by the appended claims. i

I claim:

1. Means for controlling the harnesses of a loom during weaving, said means comprising actuating means, harness restraining means engageable with the harness operating means of the loom to restrain the harnesses in one position while more than one pick are being laid in the same shed, said actuating means comprising pattern means, an actuator arm, and a longitudinally movable cable extending from said actuator arm to said harness restraining means and movable by said actuator arm to engage and actuate said harness restraining means, said actuating means periodically actuating said harness restraining means into said harness restraining engagement with the harness operating means.

2. Means for controlling the harnesses of a cam loom to hold the harnesses in one position while more than one pick are being laid in the same shed, said means comprising actuating means having pattern means driven from the main cam shaft of said cam loom for periodically operating said actuating means, harness restraining means engageable with the harness operating means of the loom torestrain said harnesses for retention of the harnesses in one position while more than one pick are being laid in the same shed said actuating means comprising a longitudinally movable cable and an actuator arm, said cable extending from the actuator arm to the harness restraining means and movable by said actuator arm to engage and actuate said harness restraining means into engagement with said harness operating means, said actuator arm periodically -moving said cable to actuate said harness restraining means.

3. Means for controlling the harnesses of a cam loom .to. hold the.harnesse's in one position whilemorethan one pick are being laid in the same shed, said cam loom being of the type wherein the harnesses are operated by a. harness treadle that reciprocates from one position to an opposite position, said means comprising actuating and take-up motion control means connected to said shaft and operable upon oscillation of said shaft to reduce the amount of take-up when said treadle latch is in latching position.

4. Means for controlling the harnesses of a loom during weaving, said means comprising actuating means, a horizontally extending chain support mounted above said loom, a plurality of rotatable sprockets mounted on said horizontal support in a substantially horizontal plane, at least one of said sprockets being driven by the drive motion of the loom, a pattern chain supported in a substantially horizontal plane on said support and sprockets and driven by said at least one sprocket, an actuator arm and a longitudinally movable cable connecting said actuator arm and the harness restraining means, said pattern chain periodically in a selected pattern operating said actuator arm and cable, harness restraining means actuated by said actuating means upon operation thereof by the pattern chain, said harness restraining means being engageable with the harness operating means of the loom to restrain said harnesses upon said actuation for retention of the harnesses in one position while more than one pick are being laid in the same shed.

5. Means for controlling the harnesses of a loom during weaving, said means comprising actuating means having a pattern chain arranged horizontally above said loom with a plurality of sprockets around which said chain travels and means for driving said chain from the drive motion of the loom, indicator pins carried by said chain and spaced thereon in a selected pattern for controlling the harnesses, a contact member mounted adjacent said chain for engagement with and displacement by said indicator pins as they move thereby, a cable tube mounted adjacent said contact member and extending therefrom, a slidable cable carried in said cable tube and having one end positioned adjacent said contact member for engagement thereby upon displacement of the contact member to slide the cable in the cable tube, harness restraining means engageable with the harness operating means of the loom to restrain said harnesses, said cable tube extending to said harness restraining means and said cable being engageable with said harness restraining means for actuation thereof upon displacement of the contact member by the indicator pins to cause the harness restraining means to engage the harness operating means and hold the harnesses in one position while more than one pick are being laid in the same shed.

6. Means for controlling the harnesses of a loom during weaving, said means comprising a latch member mounted on said loom and movable into engagement with the harness operating mechanism of the loom to restrain movement of the harnesses, a reciprocating operating member mounted on said loom and driven by the drive motion of the loom, a latch operating linkage connected to said latch member and engageable with said operating member for movement of said latch member into engagement with the harness operating mechanism, means for moving said latch operating linkage periodically into eninto engagement with the harness operating mechanism to restrain the harnesses.

7. Means for controlling the harnesses of a loom during weaving, said means comprising a latch member mounted on said loom and movable into engagement with the harness operating mechanism of the loom to restrain movement of the harnesses, a reciprocating operating member mounted on said loom and driven by the drive motion of the loom, as oscillatable latch operating linkage connected to said latch member and operable upon oscillation to move said latch member into harness restraining engagement with the harness operating mechanism, said latch operating linkage having a pawl thereon moveable into the path of said reciprocating member for engagement thereby to oscillate said latch operating linkage and move the latch member into harness restraining position, means for moving said pawl periodically into the path of said operating member in a selected pattern.

8. Means for controlling the harnesses of a loom during weaving, said means comprising a latch member mounted on said loom and movable into engagement with the harness operating mechanism of the loom to restrain movement of the harnesses, a reciprocating operating member mounted on said loom and driven by the drive motion of the loom, an oscillatable latch operating linkage connected to said latch member and operable upon oscillation to move said latch member into harness restraining engagement with the harness operating mechanism, said latch operating linkage having a pawl thereon movable into the path of said reciprocating member for engagement thereby to oscillate said latch operating linkage and move the latch member into harness restraining position, means for moving said pawl periodically into the path of said operating member in a selected pattern, and take-up motion control means connected to said latch operating linkage for operation therewith, said take-up motion control means being engageable with the take-up motion of the loom to reduce the amount of take-up upon operation of the latch operating linkage.

9. Means for controlling the harnesses of a cam loom during weaving, said cam loom having a harness treadle reciprocated by a cam on a main cam shaft to reciprocate warp harnesses from one open shed position to the opposite open shed position, said means comprising a latch member pivotally mounted on said loom adjacent said harness treadle and movable into the path of the harness treadle to restrain movement of the treadle, a reciprocating operating treadle mounted on said loom, an operating treadle cam on said shaft engaging said operating treadle for reciprocation thereof, an oscillatable latch operating linkage connected to said latch member and operable upon oscillation to move said latch member into the path treadle cam being related so that the latch member engages and restrains the harness treadle as it starts to move to the opposite position, the harness treadle thereby being in the same position when latched as in the previous and subsequent normal positions.

10. Means for controlling the harnesses of a cam loom during weaving, said cam loom having a harness treadle reciprocated by a cam on a main cam shaft to reciprocate warp harnesses from one open shed position to the opposite open shed position, said means comprising a latch member pivotally mounted on said loom adjacent said harness treadle and movable into the path of the harness treadle to restrain movement of the treadle, a reciprocating operating treadle mounted on said loom, an operating treadle cam on said shaft engaging said operating treadle for reciprocation thereof, an oscillatable latch operating linkage connected to said latch member and operable upon oscillation to move said latch member into the path of said harness treadle, said latch operating linkage having a pawl thereon movable into the path of said operating treadle for engagement thereby to oscillate said latch operating linkage and move the latch member into the path of the harness treadle, means for moving said pawl periodically into the path of said operating treadle in a selected pattern, the harness treadle cam and the operating treadle cam being related so that the latch member engages and restrains the harness treadle as it starts to move to the opposite position, the harness treadle thereby being in the same position when latched as in the previous and subsequent normal positions, and take-up motion control means connected to said latch operating linkage for operation therewith, said take-up motion control means being engageable with the take-up motion of the loom to reduce the amount of take-up upon operation of the latch operating linkage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 702,635 Cumnock et a1 June 17, 1902 1,541,959 Howarth June 16, 1925 1,752,237 Corn Mar. 25, 1930 1,753,840 Thexton et a1 Apr. 8, 1930 2,923,324 Johnson Feb. 2, 1960 2,980,145 Herard et a1 Apr. 18, 1961 

1. MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE HARNESSES OF A LOOM DURING WEAVING, SAID MEANS COMPRISING ACTUATING MEANS, HARNESS RESTRAINING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE HARNESS OPERATING MEANS OF THE LOOM TO RESTRAIN THE HARNESSES IN ONE POSITION WHILE MORE THAN ONE PICK ARE BEING LAID IN THE SAME SHED, SAID ACTUATING MEANS COMPRISING PATTERN MEANS, AN ACTUATOR ARM, AND A LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE CABLE EXTENDING FROM SAID ACTUATOR ARM TO SAID HARNESS RESTRAINING MEANS AND MOVABLE BY SAID ACTUATOR ARM TO ENGAGE AND ACTUATE SAID HARNESS RESTRAINING MEANS, SAID ACTUATING MEANS PERIODICALLY ACTUATING SAID HARNESS RESTRAINING MEANS INTO SAID HARNESS RESTRAINING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE HARNESS OPERATING MEANS. 